Russia: The car used in Putin critic's killing belongs to an 'in-house security service'

People during a march to commemorate Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead on Friday night, in central Moscow on Sunday.
REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva
Russia's finance ministry says the car being sought in connection with the killing of Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov belonged to an "in-house security service" for the ministry, according to the Russian news agency TASS.

Nemtsov was shot dead last week in the highest-profile killing of its kind during Vladimir Putin's 15-year reign as prime minister and president.

Because of Nemtsov's status as an opposition leader and former deputy prime minister, many of his supporters believe Putin was to blame for his death. He was attacked 200 meters from the Kremlin walls, according to one reporter in Moscow.

While the car in question, which reportedly fled the scene of Nemtsov's death, did not belong to the finance ministry directly, the connection to a contractor for the state body raises fresh questions about Kremlin involvement.

The ministry's press office told TASS: "The Ford car we are talking about does not belong to the finance ministry. This is a vehicle of an in-house security service, an independent FSUE providing services to the finance ministry, Goznak, and other bodies."

The covered body of Nemtsov, with St. Basil's Cathedral, right, and the Kremlin walls seen in the background, in central Moscow on Saturday.
REUTERS/Pavel Bednyakov

Nemtsov served as a deputy prime minister and a regional governor in Russia in the 1990s, when he helped put free-market reforms in place. Ukraine's president believes Nemtsov was killed because he had evidence that Russia armed forces in Ukraine.

The fact Nemtsov was gunned down right outside the Kremlin and state officials have acknowledged a connection to the car that fled the scene of the killing is being interpreted by Putin's critics that no one is safe.

The Russian government has even offered a reward of $50,000 for information leading to the conviction of the killer of Nemtsov. However, Russia might have actually captured the shooting on tape — Nemtsov was killed in front of the Kremlin's security cameras.